Russia reported the return of 103 of its servicemen captured in the Kursk region, whilst Ukraine said 103 of its servicemen had also been returned.
ADVERTISEMENTThe Russian Defence Ministry said on Saturday that its soldiers had been handed over in neighbouring Belarus.
"Currently, all Russian military personnel are on the territory of the Republic of Belarus, where they are receiving the necessary psychological and medical assistance, as well as the opportunity to contact their relatives," the statement said.
The Russian state news agency ITAR-TASS reported that the United Arab Emirates had again brokered the exchange, the 56th since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of its neighbour in February 2022.
In video posted on X the 103 prisoners of war returned to Ukraine appeared to be thin after weeks of captivity in Russia. Most of them have been seriously injured or wounded, have serious illnesses and need immediate medical care.
The released servicemen participated in the defence of the city of Mariupol, Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Kharkiv and Kyiv. Among them are two security guards of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.
In total, since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, 3,672 Ukrainians have been returned.